Banjo-Kazooie is getting its own dedicated retro handheld

HyperMegaTech! has announced the Super Pocket Rare Edition, a $69 portable console launching in June 2026 that includes 14 built-in games from the British developer.

I have a slight addiction to Evercade cartridges, so any new hardware that plays them immediately gets my attention. I have a complete collection... But even if you do not own a single piece of physical media from Blaze Entertainment, this particular handheld has a massive hook. Microsoft and Rare actually licensed Banjo-Kazooie for a third-party device.

The device has a red, yellow, and blue color scheme that matches the old Rare logo. Alongside the bear and bird, the system includes 13 other titles spanning the company's history across 8-bit, 16-bit, and 64-bit consoles. You get Conker's Pocket Tales, Battletoads, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, Cobra Triangle, R.C. Pro-Am II, Slalom, Snake Rattle 'n' Roll, and Solar Jetman. The microcomputer side covers their early years with Atic Atac, Jetpac, Lunar Jetman, Knight Lore, and Gunfright.

Wait, how do you play Banjo without an analog stick?

If you spent any time collecting jiggies on the Nintendo 64, you probably noticed a glaring omission on the Super Pocket hardware. There is no analog stick. According to the official product page, Banjo-Kazooie has been specifically optimized to work with a D-pad. I am incredibly curious to see how that translates in practice, especially during the more demanding platforming sections in Click Clock Wood.

The built-in games are great, but the real magic happens on the back of the console.

Vinyl records, but for video games

If you are new to this ecosystem, here is a quick history lesson. When Blaze Entertainment launched the original Evercade handheld in 2020, the retro gaming aftermarket was dominated by cheap emulation boxes pre-loaded with questionable ROMs. Blaze took the exact opposite approach. They licensed games directly from publishers and built a platform entirely around physical media. They eventually expanded into home consoles with the Evercade VS in 2021 and upgraded handhelds like the EXP.

Collecting Evercade cartridges feels exactly like collecting vinyl records. Each chunky plastic cart comes in a clamshell case with a full-color manual. The library currently sits at over 75 cartridges containing more than 650 games. You can find everything from obscure arcade ports to modern indie titles.

The Super Pocket line acts as a gateway drug to that wider library. HyperMegaTech! previously released versions themed around Capcom, Taito, and Atari. Every single one of them has a cartridge slot on the back that accepts standard Evercade releases. You can buy the Rare edition for Banjo-Kazooie and immediately start building a physical library of other retro games.

The hardware details

The Super Pocket Rare Edition costs $69 in the United States (£49 in the UK and €59 in Europe). Pre-orders are open right now through the official HyperMegaTech! website and various retail partners. The hardware will start shipping to buyers in June 2026.

Seeing a major first-party developer license their biggest properties to a niche British hardware maker is a strange timeline. It is also a highly welcome one. If Microsoft is willing to let Banjo loose on an Evercade device, maybe we will eventually see a dedicated Halo: Combat Evolved cartridge.